A SURF AND TURF ANNIVERSARY

Mashed Potatoes
5-6 Potatoes
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp sour cream
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt
pepper
cajun seasoning
garlic seasoning


Filet Mignon In 1 2 3
garlic salt
cajun seasoning
steak seasoning (interchangeable with the flavoring you prefer)
pepper
1 Filet
olive oil


Simple Spicy Tilapia
olive oil
butter
cajun seasoning
1 tilapia filet


That's all you need! It's so easy, and I thought cooking was supposed to be hard...

The fish in the fish recipe can really be interchangeable with any fish that you enjoy. In my boyfriend and I's case we really like tilapia so that is the fish I picked up at the grocery store. You could also pick whatever meat is your favorite to put in place of the filet mignon. These are the simplest forms of how to cook a piece of fish or a piece of meat and perfect for beginner cookers. Like me! The seasonings vary, depending on how much you want on that particular dish. Mashed potatoes are a great side dish to a lot of meals so I thought those would make a great thing for me to learn how to cook, too. As I go on I will be more specific on how I cooked my meal and how I messed it up.

DINNER DELISH or DINNER DISASTER
For my boyfriend and I's anniversary I thought I would try and cook the dinner this time. He is a very good cook and cooks for me all the time, it is kind of embarrassing that I have never cooked for him. I really hope that me cooking this meal doesn't make this our last anniversary. At least I don't have to make anything heart shaped.

FILET MIGNON
First I covered the filets in olive oil and then covered them with the seasonings on top and bottom. I sprinkled the seasonings just lightly and enough to get the taste that I desire. Once those were seasoned I started to heat up the skillet. I needed to make sure and get the skillet really hot. Once it was hot enough I melted butter on the bottom of the skillet to cook the steak in. When the butter was melted and bubbling I threw the steaks on. I cooked each side for about a minute total and then turned the power down lower. Then I started to cook it slower and pay close attention until it was slightly pink in the center like I like it. I can tell that cooking steak is going to take a lot of practice to get it down to perfection. Depending on how big or small the steak is will also determine how long to cook it. Be careful of the seasonings you pick. The steak seasoning I got to put on my steak had fennel in it which I cannot stand. I can taste it in anything and it completely ruined my steak.


TILAPIA
I began with the fish by covering the filets with olive oil and then covering them in a spicy cajun seasoning. Once the fish were drenched in seasoning, I started up the skillet. Like the steak, I made the skillet very hot. I covered the bottom with olive oil and once it got hotter I melted butter all over the bottom too. Once it started popping I threw on the fish. I just cooked it by eying it, once one side looked blackened I flipped it over. When I started on the other side I turned down the heat some and then waited till I thought it looked blackened enough for me. Depending on the thickness of fish you would need to cook it longer or shorter. It really took no time at all!

MASHED POTATOES
First with the potatoes I had to clean them and peel them. Then I had to cut them up and boil them in a big pot of water. I knew they were done cooking once I could stick my fork through them easily in the pot. I drained the water out and then got to mashing. Throughout the mashing process is when I got to add all the good stuff. Adding the milk first makes them easier to mash and mix in the other things. I added too much milk and I ended up not liking the potatoes because I don't like when mashed potatoes are too "fluffy". So I would suggest less milk to people who don't like their potatoes too fluffy. After the milk I added the butter and sour cream. I shook the seasonings all over the top of the potatoes and I thought that made for a very nice taste. I added the cheese last so the potatoes would be nice and hot and it would melt fast. I stirred the potatoes all up together and that was it! They would have been excellent had they not been so fluffy.


VOTED ANNIVERSARY YUM BY ONE!
Yes, we are still together and my cooking did not cause a breakup.